ZacksTrade or Swissquote – which is better for UK traders 2026? Compare ZacksTrade and Swissquote in this detailed breakdown of their platforms, features and fees.
Zacks Trade, a US broker under FINRA regulation, provides trading services for stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, bonds, and more via a bespoke terminal. Targeting active traders, it offers competitive fees across most assets. Additionally, clients benefit from an app and extensive market data access.
Founded in 1996, Swissquote is a prominent Swiss bank and broker, providing online trading opportunities for an impressive portfolio of three million products, including forex, CFDs, futures, options, and bonds. Renowned for its reliability, Swissquote has earned a solid reputation through pioneering trading solutions. It was the first bank to introduce cryptocurrency trading in 2017, and has since expanded its offerings to include fractional shares and the Invest Easy service.
Pros
The option to execute trades by phone with a broker, without extra costs beyond the standard penny-per-share fee, is rare among discount brokers. Most rivals do not offer this service or apply a significant surcharge, thus distinguishing Zacks Trade in this respect.
Zacks Trade still imposes commissions dropped by most rivals, but it compensates with lower borrowing costs. With margin rates starting at 8.83%, it's cheaper than major brokers, appealing to those holding overnight leveraged positions. While small balances see slight savings, larger margin accounts benefit significantly over a year.
Many brokers at this level provide just basic charts and a news ticker. Zacks Trade offers much more—standard accounts include over 20 complimentary research subscriptions and the choice of 80 additional paid services from Morningstar, Dow Jones, Seeking Alpha, and Thomson Reuters.
Swissquote is highly reputable due to its status as a bank, its presence on the Swiss stock exchange, and its authorisations from credible regulators such as FINMA in Switzerland, FCA in the UK, and CSSF in Luxembourg.
Swissquote is designed for rapid trading strategies, including scalping and high-frequency approaches. With an average execution speed of 9ms and a 98% fill ratio, it also supports FIX API.
Swissquote offers robust platforms for traders, including MetaTrader 4/5 and its proprietary CFXD (formerly Advanced Trader). During testing, these platforms stood out with their adaptable layouts, advanced charting tools, and comprehensive technical indicators.
Swissquote offers sophisticated research tools such as Autochartist for technical analysis and real-time news from Dow Jones. The firm's exclusive Market Talk videos and Morning News provide daily expert insights, catering to active traders.
Cons
The account-opening procedure is entirely digital but excessively complex; verification can exceed a week. Numerous document steps and a preliminary experience assessment render this one of the most tedious onboarding processes in retail brokerage, especially as competitors expedite this to hours.
Most brokers have eliminated fees on stock and ETF trades, highlighting Zacks Trade's penny-per-share charge. This fee is trivial for occasional traders. However, a 10,000-share transaction incurs a $100 commission. With widespread zero-commission options, justifying such fees is challenging.
Traders lack access to forex, cryptocurrencies, commodities, or futures—significant gaps for multi-asset traders. Since the infrastructure is via Interactive Brokers, supporting these, it seems more like an imposed restriction than a true platform constraint.
Swissquote focuses on serving professional and high-net-worth clients, requiring substantial initial deposits, such as $1,000 for Standard accounts. This approach is less favourable for smaller traders who prefer brokers offering higher leverage and no deposit requirements.
Analysis indicates that Swissquote's charges are relatively high. Forex spreads on Standard accounts begin at 1.3 pips, whereas brokers such as Pepperstone or IC Markets offer starting spreads of 0.0 pips. Additionally, transaction fees for non-Swiss stocks and ETFs could accumulate significantly for active traders.
Unlike brokers like eToro that offer social trading capabilities, Swissquote does not provide tools for community interaction or replicating successful traders. This absence can reduce its attractiveness to those who prioritise peer-to-peer learning.
Awards
Top Innovative Companies 2025 – Statista
ETF Online Broker of the Year 2024 – Swiss ETF Awards
World’s Most Trustworthy Companies 2024 – Statista
The Swissquote app, honed over time, seamlessly merges banking with trading, offering swift access to a top-tier selection of over three million instruments, such as stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. It surpasses the majority of trading apps we've reviewed, delivering a complete financial app with dynamic charts and distinctive features.
iOS App Rating
5
4.5
Android App Rating
3.7
3.4
Margin Trading
Yes
Yes
Margin Rate
7.83% – 8.83%
MetaTrader 4
No
Yes
MetaTrader 5
No
Yes
cTrader
No
No
AlgoTrader
No
No
OmniTrader
No
No
TradingView
No
No
Autochartist
No
Yes
eSignal
No
No
Trading Central
No
Yes
STP Account
No
Yes
ECN Account
No
No
DMA Account
Yes
Yes
MAM Account
No
Yes
PAMM Account
No
No
LAMM Account
No
No
Demat Account
No
No
AI / Machine Learning
No
Yes
Robo Advisor
No
Yes
Negative Balance Protection
No
Yes
Market Maker
No
Yes
P2P Trading
No
No
Spot Trading
No
Yes
Auto Trading
Yes (algos)
Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader and FIX API solutions
Copy Trading
No
No
Social Trading
No
No
Trade Signals
Integrated in CFXD
VPS Hosting
Yes
No
Tournaments
No
No
Demo Competitions
No
No
Ethical Investing
Yes
Yes
Custodial Account
No
No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No
No
Inactivity Fee
$15
$0
Islamic Account
No
Yes
Account Currencies
USD
EUR
GBP
CAD
AUD
NZD
INR
JPY
ZAR
TRY
SEK
NOK
DKK
CHF
HKD
SGD
PLN
CZK
HUF
USD
EUR
GBP
CAD
AUD
NZD
JPY
ZAR
TRY
SEK
NOK
CHF
HKD
SGD
PLN
AED
SAR
HUF
THB
QAR
MXN
Commodities
Oil
Gasoline
Silver
Gold
Palladium
Platinum
Natural Gas
Copper
Cocoa
Sugar
Soybeans
Coffee
Precious Metals
CFD
Swissquote has become a reliable CFD broker, offering trading opportunities across a broad range of global markets with rapid execution. The broker provides the intuitive CFXD platform as well as MetaTrader, and delivers insights from respected third-party sources such as Autochartist and Trading Central.
Leverage
1:30
FTSE Spread
0.9
GBPUSD Spread<
1.7
Oil Spread
0.03
Stocks Spread
$0.01 per share ($1 minimum)
N/A
Forex
Swissquote provides attractive terms for active forex traders, offering over 80 currency pairs. It ensures rapid execution speeds averaging 9ms and grants access to the popular MT4 platform.
